2008

Resurrection of the spectrum cap could prove tricky for the Federal Communications Commission next year when Democrats seize control of the agency, given President-elect Barack Obama’s call for expanded broadband deployment in a market dominated by telephone and cable TV …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly feature, Yay or Nay. Every week we’ll review a new wireless application or service from the user’s point of view, with the goal of highlighting what works and what doesn’t. If you wish to …

Elevation Partners, the VC firm that invested $325 million last year to revive Palm, left $100 million under the tree for the handset pioneer.But that tree is bedecked with candycanes in the shape of question marks. The cash infusion announced …

CONFLICTING SIGNALS WERE SENT LATE LAST WEEK over whether President-elect Barack Obama is close to naming a new chairman to the Federal Communications Commission and making other tech appointments, with intensified speculation coming after key lawmakers urged outgoing FCC Chairman …

There’s talk that HTC, the maker of the T-Mobile G1, the first phone based on software developed by a consortium of companies lead by Google, is at it again: The company is within months of releasing a new version of …

The following list details this week’s infrastructure awards for the cellular, Wi-Fi, and WiMAX industries. The contracts are broken down by transmission technology, country and vendor. The value of the contract is included when available.Cellular–American Samoa: Nortel Networks said it …

To draw consumers into brick-and-mortar stores, you need to engage them — and no channel makes it easier than mobile. Here are a few methods that are proven to work.

Editor’s note: The following are excerpts of the 20 stories highlighting the biggest events in the wireless industry in 2008 in chronological order as chosen by the RCR Wireless News editorial staff.Short codes, text messages under scrutiny Jan. 21 The …

Consumers continue to flock to the mobile Web, according to the latest report from Opera Software ASA, and they’re increasingly looking to connect with social-networking sites.The Norwegian developer said its Opera Mini browser delivered more than 5.7 page views last …

JumpTap Inc. said it will use technology from Skweezer Inc. to optimize Web content for mobile phones.One of the first players in the optimization space, Skweezer offers a direct-to-consumer content mobilization solution as well as Skweezer Private Label, a white-label …

Nokia Corp. launched its Ovi-branded mobile e-mail service, allowing users with Series 40 devices to set up e-mail accounts directly from their phones.Mail on Ovi is available in 12 languages and offers e-mail address based on users’ mobile phone numbers. …

Research In Motion Ltd. said today it will fight for its takeover bid for Certicom Corp., an encryption firm, after the latter sought a court injunction to thwart RIM’s purchase. Certicom said it would weigh RIM’s bid -RIM is offering …

U.S. carriers may say they’re swimming through the current rough economic waters un-affected, but one factor keeping them afloat is the continued support from investors. While they might not be in danger anytime soon, ratings and investor recommendations have become …

IF A VOICE-CENTRIC HANDSET anchors the left end of an imaginary arc and a wired PC anchors the right end, the middle is increasingly populated by mobile Internet devices, ultra-mobile personal computers, netbooks and e-mail-only devices. And there’s more to …

NEW YORK (AP) — If you’re looking for an extra bargain before the holidays, you may only have to ask.

Ultraportables forgo size, weight, power — and security.. They’re highly portable, inexpensive, very popular — and a potential security nightmare.

If our googling serves us right, NPR Mobile is the first NPR application for the iPhone. So who wants to experience the unique sensation of falling asleep while jogging? (We kid, we kid.) NPR Mobile allows you to browse and …

Some deep-winter intrigue is due at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, if only because Palm Inc. is expected to unveil a new operating system, dubbed Nova, on Jan. 8 at The Venetian Hotel.Given Palm’s dire straits – analysts …

For businesses, the wireless technologies may end up serving different purposes.

Palm Inc. said yesterday that it is operating in an “extremely tough climate” with “continued challenges in coming months” as it prepares to launch a next-generation platform dubbed Nova along with new handsets.Palm is widely expected to present its new …

A Dallas-based company has filed a lawsuit against Clearwire Corp. and Sprint Nextel Corp., alleging patent infringement in regard to technology being used for Clearwire’s WiMAX offering. Adaptix Inc. has filed the lawsuit in Eastern District Court of Texas alleging …

New York-based directory-assistance company kgb said it has acquired Texperts, a text-based mobile search firm, for an undisclosed sum.Kgb claims to be “the world’s largest independent provider of directory assistance and enhanced information services,” answering more than a billion questions …

Cellular association CTIA released a document aimed at helping messaging companies develop interoperable EM (enhanced messaging) offerings.The 67-page document addresses presence-enabled services and includes instructions on creating groups, allowing mobile marketers to more efficiently deploy cross-carrier text campaigns. The “Final …